of charcoal and ice cream
by uncontained hybrid
Summary: safety is best found with those who know you best, and never question your strange taste in ice cream. for padma patil, at least.


Padma lay on the floor of her and Hermione's lounge room, sketching icicles absent-mindedly. It was early December, and though it was still early, darkness had fast enveloped the outside, leaving a small scented candle as the only light guiding Padma in her artistic attempts.

Charcoal was smudged across Padma's hands and clothes. "I really should think my clothes through before I start drawing," Padma sighed to herself. She began to clear up her makeshift workspace, knowing she should probably start to heat up some of last night's leftovers before Hermione came home.

Humming Christmas tunes to herself, Padma stuffed her art supplies away in a desk drawer and carefully laid the sketches on top of it. She pulled out the leftover pie Hermione's mother had sent home with them the night before, and put it in the oven to warm up.

Hearing the key turn in the lock, Padma felt slightly pleased with her own good timing. Her smile widened when she realised Hermione had brought home cookie dough ice cream.

"What did I do to deserve this honour?" Padma asked.

"More like, the rest of the department has sticks shoved up their arses honour," Hermione grumbled miserably.

"I hope that means I still get some."

"I should've bought two cartons," Hermione snorted.

"I wonder what the rent on an unused freezer inside an ice cream factory would be," Padma mused.

"I hope the ice cream company knows it would go under if they let you have any ice cream for free."

The timer on the oven dinged, and both women jumped. "Oh, I heated up the pie for dinner, by the way."

Hermione just nodded, Summoning cutlery and plates to their kitchen counter as Padma took the pie out of the oven.

"How was work?"

"Disgustingly overwhelming," Hermione heaved a sigh. "Can we swap jobs?"

"Only if you manage to pick up some artistic skills," Padma laughed.

"We could introduce children to abstract art," Hermione smiled, shaking her head.

* * *

Different as chalk and cheese, was how Hermione's mother described the two. Padma and Hermione were somewhere between friends with benefits and romantic partners, and neither cared to define their relationship.

The two had struck up a friendship while they were interning in the Ministry, before Padma left to pursue a career as an artist and before she decided to start illustrating Muggle children's books to earn a living.

They'd moved into a small studio-style apartment in London together, before moving into a nicer, bigger place once Hermione earned herself a more elevated place inside the Ministry and before Padma found herself a place in the art world.

Bonding over a love of justice, Christmas, and strange ice cream flavours, the two had soon transitioned to something more than a simple platonic relationship to something not quite romantic. Like the grey, smudged lines of Padma's charcoal drawings.

* * *

Christmas morning was cold and rainy, but both Padma and Hermione rose early, eager to open each other's gifts and watch Muggle Christmas movies together.

Still in their pyjamas, the two raced down the hallway to the small Christmas tree in their living room, Padma nearly falling over as she slid in her bedsocks on the wooden floors of the apartment.

Plopping themselves down onto the floor, they pulled their gifts towards themselves in a manner that would have looked completely selfish to any outsiders.

As per tradition, the two played 'scissors, paper, rock' to decide on who would unwrap a present first. Hermione won, and unwrapped the first of her three gifts from Padma – an elegant necklace that Hermione had been eyeing for quite some time.

The first gift that Padma received from Hermione was quite large and wrapped in rather colourfully obnoxious paper. Padma eagerly tore off the wrapping paper, unveiling an ice cream maker.

"Oh my god," she whispered, laughing at the same time. "You did not get me an ice cream maker."

"It's not like I can conjure up electrical devices," Hermione snorted with mirth.

Padma laughed again, huggging her brand-new ice cream maker to her chest.

She set it down as one would a newborn baby, before leaning over to kiss Hermione. "You know me so well."

"No fancy jewellery or clothes for you. Just expensive art supplies and ice cream."

"Making strange ice cream is an art within itself," Padma smiled, remembering all the failed recipes of ice cream the two had tried to make with magic.

The two huddled together on their couch, watching _How The Grinch Stole Christmas_ for possibly the millionth time that season, as the new ice cream maker churned behind them in the kitchen.

They weren't a traditional couple, they didn't necessarily have serious romantic feelings for each other, but they were comfortable and safe with each other, and Merlin knew that was all they needed.

* * *

 _A/N: Written for QL. Beater 2, using the prompts overwhelmed and icicle, and the emotion of love._


End file.
